Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute of India, and noted Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan are among eight people, who will be honoured by the University of Oxford at a ceremony on June 26.
The university will also confer the honorary degrees during a ceremony called ‘Encaenia’ on academics Jennifer Doudna, Andrea Ghez, Shafi Goldwasser, Daniel Kahneman and Simon Wessely, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
“Dr Cyrus Poonawalla is the Founder and Chairman of the Serum Institute of India. Founded in 1966, the Serum Institute is now the world’s largest manufacturer of life-saving vaccines by a number of doses, producing more than 1.5 billion doses a year that are used in over 170 countries,” the university said.
“With Dr Poonawalla’s vision, the Serum Institute has reached the unmatched figure of protecting more than two-thirds of the infant population globally. He is also a generous philanthropist, focusing on public causes and underserved communities,” it added.
The university described Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as a “Pakistani singer, primarily of Qawwali, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufis.”
“Born into a family whose name has become synonymous with South Asian musical tradition, he began formal training at the age of seven and has since released more than fifty albums, performed in numerous high-profile concerts across the world, and amassed a global following, achieving over one billion views online,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}“Born into a family whose name has become synonymous with South Asian musical tradition, he began formal training at the age of seven and has since released more than fifty albums, performed in numerous high-profile concerts across the world, and amassed a global following, achieving over one billion views online,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}Rahat Ali Khan has sung more than 50 title tracks of television serials and over 100 film songs in both Hollywood and Bollywood, it said.